Falling In Love, Falling Apart
by Dodger Gilmore
Summary: The story of Michael Corner and Ginny Weasley, from beginning to end, told in seven parts. Now complete.
1. The Beginning of a Fall

**A/N: **This was an idea that just had to be written. The story of Ginny and Michael's relationship told from both of their POVs, in about 8 shorter parts (this will be the longest chapter). I'm writing it because I had to after not being able to include enough of them in my other story _**Hogwarts According To Padma Patil**_. But it can definitely be read on its own, as missing moments from the books. Hope you'll enjoy!

_**1. The Beginning of a Fall**_

Trying to suppress a flinch as Neville once again stepped on her toes, Ginny forced a smile. He gave her an embarrassed grin in return, then turned back to staring at his feet, scrunching up his face in concentration, obviously trying hard to avoid it happening again. This gave Ginny the opportunity to look around (which she really shouldn't wish for, she reminded herself sternly, but let her eyes stray nonetheless).

Her disobeying eyes found their object in the very same place as the last time she checked, merely five minutes ago. Harry was sitting down, not dancing, next to her even more sulky-looking brother. Ginny's heart gave a small groan as she remembered the opportunity she could have had, had she not already agreed to go as Neville's date. She could have gone with Harry. Harry, who hadn't had a date. Harry, who would have been her date. (Surely, she could've charmed him into dancing with _her_, couldn't she?)

Harry, who had been turned down by the person he had _actually_ wanted to take, Ginny reminded herself with a sinking feeling as she followed Harry's mesmerized gaze to a certain Ravenclaw Seeker.

Okay. So maybe having him staring at another girl like _that_ the entire evening wouldn't have been her ideal date, after all.

Perhaps Hermione had had a point, really, that it was time for her to start moving on, or something like that. If there even existed anything like moving on from someone who had never showed the remotest interest in you… It really was kind of pathetic, wasn't it? She was Ginny Weasley. She wasn't some silly girl who spent the whole of her school years pining for a boy who only saw her as his friend's bloody little sister. It wasn't her, and it wasn't right.

Right then, Neville stepped on her toes harder than before and a gasp was out of her mouth before she'd had time to stop herself, to spare his feelings.

He cringed, blushing even worse. "Godric! I'm really sorry, Ginny. You wanna – take a break?"

"Yeah. That'd be nice. I am getting kind of thirsty," she lied, plastering on a smile for him. Neville was nice, he was, but if she was about to start moving on, he wasn't the one to do it with.

"I'll go get us some drinks then," he offered, and she nodded gratefully as she got the chance to sit down. The second he had turned around, she started rubbing her sore toes with a grimace.

"Longbottom giving you a hard time, is he?" A boy with black hair falling into his eyes was smirking at her in amusement. Ginny tried to place him, and thought she recalled seeing him at the Ravenclaw table.

"S'not so bad," she defended Neville to the stranger.

"Then why are you rubbing your foot, _and_ why did I see you flinching all the time you were dancing?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Even though you did make a valiant effort to hide it."

"And you _are_?" She was getting annoyed, and didn't pretend otherwise.

"Michael Corner," he introduced himself, formally offering his hand. She hesitated, before shaking it briefly, her expression highly sceptical. "I'm in Neville's year. Ravenclaw, though. So, a lot smarter than you naïve heroic lot!"

"You're calling me stupid? Is that really your way of flirting with a girl?" The words had escaped her lips before she had had any time to reflect on their meaning. He hadn't even given her any indication of flirting, and if he had, she certainly had not meant to encourage further activity in that area.

To her surprise, Michael's neck reddened slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Guess I need some practicing, don't I?" he admitted, giving a short, slightly awkward laugh and dragging his hand through his hair. Black hair. Kind of messy.

_Remind you of someone? _

_No. No, no, _no_. He is not Harry. He is not a replacement-Harry. I am _not_ attracted to him. I don't even know this guy, for Merlin's sake! Just because he looks cute when he's kind of blushing doesn't mean – he was being a jerk, just a few seconds ago, wasn't he?_

"You do," she concluded stiffly.

"Ouch," he grinned, mocking being highly wounded. "Don't spare my precious feelings or anything. Just let it all out."

"I'm a straightforward girl, Mikey," she shrugged, forcing back the grin that was tugging at her lips.

"_Mikey_? Seriously? First you insult my manhood, and then you call me _Mikey_? Your aim for tonight is to completely emasculate me, is it?"

This time, her lips didn't obey her protests, and he lighted up as he saw her small smile, then proceeded to do a small victory dance in celebration.

When she raised her eyebrows, though still grinning, he said, "What? I got the Ice Queen to smile for me. Quite impressive for someone completely untalented in the field of flirting, isn't it?"

She shrugged again. "I might've misjudged you."

_What the _hell_ is wrong with me? Why does it suddenly sound like _I'm_ the one flirting with him? I have a bloody date!_

Speaking of dates. "You ditch your date or were you not talented enough in the flirting field to get one in the first place?" she questioned him, her tone back to harshness, but the grin still lingering as she spoke.

Michael blushed again. "Both, actually," he admitted, chuckling at her surprised expression. "Too much of a coward to ask anyone, so I gave into my cousin pestering me to take her. She's third year, so she wouldn't've been able to go – and well, I was a coward. Then when she'd got in, she only really wanted to hang out with her friends. So, technically, I haven't ditched her. I've _been_ ditched. By my cousin."

She couldn't suppress a giggle at the way he cringed at every repetition of his situation.

"You laugh at my misery?" He feigned a look of deepest hurt. "I am shocked. Ginny Weasley, I've heard you were supposed to be _nice_."

"Oh, you know. False rumours," she shrugged, then paused to think. "Wait a moment, from who'd you hear that?"

"I have my sources," he said mysteriously, then gave a chuckle. "I dunno, really. I guess I just got that impression. I mean, you hang out with Lovegood, don't you? That requires some patience."

"She's nice," Ginny said sharply, her eyes suddenly shooting daggers.

Michael raised his arms in defence. "Never said she wasn't. I just – well, I got the impression that you're nice, s'all," he finished, wisely avoiding any further commenting on Luna and her oddities.

She nodded slowly, accepting his answer.

"Blimey. People usually don't get that offended from being called nice, do they?"

"Guess I'm not you're average girl then, am I, Mikey?" she suggested, slapping him playfully in the chest.

"Guess not," he agreed, chuckling appreciatively, his eyes lingering one second too long at the place where her hand had touched him.

"Um, Ginny?" _Shit, shit, shit!_ It was Neville's voice, hesitant, behind her. "Here's your drink. I – I was just gonna tell you – I've found Dean, and his date's sort of run off with her friends, so I was gonna keep him company. So you can, um, y'know – well, I'll be over there, if you – if you need me."

"Th-thanks, Neville," she said, giving an apologetic grin as he took off. _Crap! He did _so _not deserve that from me! _"Shit!" she exclaimed out loud as soon as Neville was out of earshot.

"What?" Michael questioned, looking honestly taken aback by her swearing.

She gave him an incredulous stare. "I messed up. I let him catch me here with you, making him think I'd rather be here, talking with you, than with him, making him come up with some lame-ass excuse so I wouldn't feel guilty about ditching him when he so didn't deserve that after offering to take me when I wouldn't even have been able to go if it hadn't been for him!" _Well, that was kind of true. True at the moment when he'd asked her... _"So, yeah, I think I owed him better than that," she finished off, glaring at Michael for his idiocy (or, because it had been his fault she had done this – he had distracted her with his stupid hair and his grin and _shit!_).

"Wow." He let out a low whistle, then brightened. "You said you wanted to be here with me!" he pointed out, looking triumphant.

"I – I did not!" she protested, racking her brain furiously. _I didn't say that – did I?_

"Oh, you so did. And you know it too, that's why you're looking all flustered. You don't have to, y'know. It's okay. I tend to have that effect on girls. All people really." He flashed a white, smug grin.

She snorted. "Says the guy who takes his cousin to the Ball _and_ gets ditched by her."

"Well, maybe not _all_ girls. But I'll settle for you, Ginny Weasley. If you'd care to join me on the dance floor? I promise not to step on you," he added as she hesitated, holding out his hand expectantly, looking highly cute as he waited, his eyes so hopeful and -

"Fine," she found herself muttering and taking his offered hand wearily. "Just one dance, and then we'll see. Okay?"

"Fine by me," he chortled, leading her to the dance floor.


	2. Falling Some More

_**Falling Some More**_

As he passed Ginny in the corridor, she winked. As soon as she was out of earshot, Terry started making comments that would've made anyone with any kind of decency blush (let's just say that if Padma had been present, he would've never been anywhere near this vocabulary). As Michael's colour did heighten (even though he point blank denied it) he had to suffer even worse from Terry's mocking, and Anthony's questions if the two of them weren't getting somewhere by now.

Those questions were, however annoying, justified. It had been months since the Yule Ball and the sort-of-flirting with the first girl ever to have left him speechless (if only briefly), and the dancing with her scent of flowers and girl so intoxicatingly close that his head had been wiped completely empty (something she had made sure to mock him endlessly about, afterwards, even if she herself had been unusually quiet in his arms and he couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't had a similar effect on her – even if he'd never dare mention this suspicion).

That had been at Christmas, and now it was almost the end of term. They had continued to talk, now and then, when they met in the corridors, in the Great Hall, even spending longer periods together once in a while, just getting stuck in a conversation. There was still that easy banter, the flirty tone of it all that alighted his hopes for the possibility of something more. And yet, after all this time, that was all.

It was getting ridiculous. It was almost the summer holidays. He needed to do something about it. If only to get Terry off his back (of course, it was not only that, but also the fact that her red hair and playful grin were _everywhere _and driving him kind of insane).

He'd made up his mind, and had made sure to walk alone down to dinner, in the hope that she'd be arriving at the same time. She had not. Feeling utterly pathetic, he had all the same proceeded to hover, just outside the Great Hall, receiving many questioning looks. At last, he spotted her, thankfully alone.

"Hello, Mikey," she greeted him with a broad smile.

For once, he didn't simply fake a scowl at her nickname and enter into their normal routine. He instead simply attempted a grin and greeted her back. She stopped in her tracks, looking at him in something between surprise and suspicion, obviously waiting for an explanation for his sudden extreme nervousness (he cursed his hand for immediately flying to his hair when he was awkward, giving him away).

"Well, um, Ginny? I was kind of wondering something."

She simply raised her eyebrow, and waited. When he didn't continue, she chuckled. "Geez, Mike. Who died?"

"No one," he muttered, consciously stopping his hand half-way back to his head. "I just, er – was wondering. Well, thinking is more like it. I was thinking that – well, you know, me and you – "

"I'd say so," she nodded in amusement. "I've known you for about six months, and me for about thirteen years. And now that we've established that…?" she left off, waving her hand in the air. From the smug look on her face, she had already figured out where he was heading, but wasn't going to spare him the trouble of actually getting there.

"Er, yes," he said, taking a deep breath, before starting to speak in a much higher speed than normally. "I wanted to tell you that if you don't have plans or anything, you could come and watch the third task tomorrow with us. I mean, with me. But, y'know, Terry and Anthony'll be there too, I guess, but you'd be going with me. I mean – if you'd want to…?" he trailed off, cringing as he realized just how rambling he was getting.

Ginny giggled, before unexpectedly pressing her lips against his cheek for a second. "Yes, _Mikey_, I'd love to go with you," she said, grinning brightly as she pulled away again. "I'll see you tomorrow then!" she called, leaving him dumbstruck, feeling the place her lips had touched, trying to comprehend that _he_ had actually asked Ginny Weasley to an official date – _and_ she had actually agreed to go.

**A/N: **Next up, the Third Task!


	3. Falling Unexpectedly Hard

_**Falling Unexpectedly Hard**_

Perhaps she should have been nervous. She was, too, but only marginally. Of course she did still care about Harry and whether he lived or died. He was her friend, and Ron's, and – well, she didn't want anyone to die, did she? But it was hard to muster up so much fear now, when all he was facing was a maze where he had the opportunity to send up sparks for help if he needed to, the teachers right there, ready to step in. After the Horntail, everything else seemed a piece of cake for him. He could do it all, and he would in all likeliness win today. She would be happy for him, cheer with the rest. But she wasn't going to be biting her nails now, worrying when there really was nothing to worry about. That was irrational behaviour. She was done with that.

Besides, she was on a sort of date. Her first ever sort-of-date. It was something that deserved her full attention. He – Michael – did.

So she turned her eyes away from the maze, where you really could see nothing anyway and watched his eyes light up. At her simply looking at him. _See, that's what you need, you moron. Not some bloke who barely knows you exist. _

"So, who'd you reckon is gonna win this thing?" he questioned her lightly.

"Harry. No question." Okay, so some part of her loyalty was still intact. He _was_ a Gryffindor, and her _friend_, after all.

Michael raised his eyebrows at her certainty. "Oh, I dunno. Cedric's been doing pretty well, too, hasn't he? And I wouldn't be surprised if that Delacour girl's got a bit more in her than she's laid on."

It was Ginny's turn to give him a questioning look. "_Really_? How surprisingly, that you boys should all agree on that…"

"What? That girl's hot. It's a fact," Terry Boot chimed in, grinning at her cheekily.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well, she's also rather pathetically shallow and couldn't even get past a bunch of Grindylows. I mean, _seriously_. Most first years'd be able to do _that_."

"Woah. Sounds like someone's just a tiny bit jealous that Mike defended her," Terry smirked.

"Terr, don't you think you should give these two some _privacy_?" came Padma Patil's stern voice with a pointed look at him. Surprisingly, he didn't protest.

Ginny sent Padma a small smile of thanks. The other girl smiled back, before engaging Terry in a conversation with herself and Anthony Goldstein.

"So." Michael cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, just so you know, I don't think of her like that. The Delacour girl," he hurriedly explained, looking slightly anxious that she'd be upset.

"Okay," Ginny nodded, not quite believing him, but choosing to drop the issue. The girl was Veela-blooded, after all. He probably couldn't help it. Plus, she really shouldn't be talking about having some sort of lingering attraction to some other person. _Moving on, Gin, you're moving on. _

"Okay," Michael repeated, still looking at her apprehensively. It made her smile, how insecure she made him. From what she'd seen when she watched him around other people, it was really quite out of character for him.

She chose to change the subject, letting him off the hook. Even if it was amusing to watch him squirm. "But seriously, you think Diggory's got a chance? Isn't he kind of all looks, no brains?" she said, seeing Michael breath out in relief, before responding.

"Well, well, well, who's noticing a bloke's looks now?" he accused, playfully wiggling his finger at her.

"I also insulted his intelligence rather harshly, didn't I? That's the difference between us. _I_ see when someone is a vain prat. You don't." _And the fact that you're insulting Diggory has nothing to do with the fact that he's up against Harry. Absolutely nothing. _

"Insulting my intelligence now too, are you? You do know that I _am_ in Ravenclaw. We don't take kindly to that."

"Well…" She pretended to think carefully about it. "I'm saying you're smarter than Diggory," she offered.

"I choose to take that as a compliment," he grinned.

The time passed. Their conversation flowed more and more easily, Ginny still enjoyed making Michael nervous every now and then, and soon, she had almost completely forgotten that there was a game being played that she was supposed to be watching (but there wasn't anything to see, was there, so why should she bother – it wasn't as though it'd help Harry to have her staring at the bloody maze and give up her own chance to have a life).

Actually, at that particular moment, the Tournament was tucked so far behind dust and Michael's scent in her brain that if someone had asked her why she was here, she probably wouldn't have been able to answer them. Because after some joke from her side (if asked, she would not be able to recall that either), he had laughed, and she had laughed and then they had stopped laughing and they had just been staring at each other, realizing simultaneously how close their faces were, and somehow getting even closer…

Now, only a couple of breaths separated them and she could see his eyes sparkling with delight and excitement and she felt something similar spread down her stomach. And then their lips met.

There was a scream. Their teeth knocked together as she swirled around, suddenly remembering everything. She searched the ground, her heart actually stopping for a moment when she saw the two boys, lying so still…

"_Harry!_" His name was shrill on her lips while she was only half-aware that it was coming from her. There were so many other shrieks and sobs filling the air and she really did think - and then he moved, sitting up, _alive_, and her knees buckled. Arms caught her. Her brain felt fuzzy, there was more screaming, _Cedric _and _dead_ and her head was still buried in Michael's shoulder, and she could feel him stiffening, but she didn't cry. She didn't let go. He didn't, either. He held her, and she let him, and she was frozen, but she'd stay here, where she didn't have to see, didn't have to face any of it.

**A/N: **Next chapter will be the day after this, and kind of short. I almost have it done, so it should be up soon.


	4. Catching Her When She Falls

**A/N: **This follows the morning after the last chapter, with the Third Task. Next, we'll jump until after the summer holidays. Just so you know. Enjoy!

_**Catching Her When She Falls**_

Somehow, the day before had ended, and after dealing with Fred and George's unexpectedly strong reactions, she'd lain in her bed for hours, images swimming in her head, thoughts that lead her nowhere as she still didn't even know what had happened, since Harry had been too much of a mess last night to even tell Ron and Hermione anything about it (and being so concerned about him that her heart ached didn't mean anything, and if it did, she didn't give a damn, because he was hurting and she had the right to care).

She only knew one thing. Diggory was dead. And she had insulted him, just minutes before…

Giving up on sleep, she went down to breakfast early. The Great Hall was almost empty, except for a couple of people over at the Ravenclaw table. Before she'd even had time to wish that one of them would be a certain person, he'd hurriedly made his way over to her.

"Hi," he said, running his hand through his hair, not smiling, taking in her probably pretty shitty state.

"Hi." She didn't know what else to say. He'd held her, yesterday. They'd kissed in bliss, and then, when the world had come crashing down, he'd held her. It had been nice, his arms around her. She'd needed that. She wasn't used to needing, or getting, protection from anyone other than maybe her brothers (and that was only when she let them, which wasn't often at all). She wasn't sure whether it was okay to have needed him like that, in that moment, or if she should despise herself for it, really, for being so weak. But right now, she didn't have the energy, and she found that with him, it wasn't humiliating or awkward, like it had been with Harry, in her first year after the Chamber business. Michael somehow made it easy to trust that it was okay to lean on him. And she found herself appreciating that.

"You didn't get any sleep, did you?" he asked, cringing as he took in her appearance further.

She shook her head, honestly. He sighed. "Need a hug or something?" he offered, still not grinning. She only hesitated a moment before nodding, and stepping into his open embrace.

She didn't cry today either, but she stood there for a few moments, just breathing in his scent, feeling the safety of a couple of strong arms, of a someone.

"I don't wanna not hear from you all summer," she suddenly mumbled into his shoulder, surprising both him and herself by voicing her thought.

She looked up at him. He frowned at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. I believe we can take care of that. I've got an owl."

"Good," she whispered, letting her head fall back against his chest. She would have smiled when his lips grazed her hair. Except that a boy was dead, and she had a definite feeling that their world wasn't safe anymore.


	5. Falling Together

**A/N: **Okay, so me and maths – not best friends. I know I've been saying all along that this is a story in eight parts. Turns out I've counted the chapters I had planned out wrong – they're just seven. I'm not sure if I'll try to make up one more or not, but if I don't, then just blame me not being able to count properly, okay?

_**Falling Together**_

Michael was looking around anxiously as he stepped into the familiar carriage that was dragging him, Terry, Anthony and Padma up to school. Still no sight of her. Ginny hadn't come to find him on the train, as she had implied in her letter that she would. He'd never gotten a response to his last letter, which he'd sent the day before yesterday. Going it over in his mind, he tried to find something that might've somehow offended her. He could find nothing. This did not help with the knot in his stomach. Not at all. Neither did Terry's mocking or Padma's sympathetic eyes.

"Just back off, guys," Anthony spoke up after a particularly insinuating comment from Terry.

Terry immediately looked ashamed of himself, scratching his head awkwardly. "Sorry, mate," he muttered. "Er – who d'you guys think's gonna be teaching DADA this year?"

Michael tuned out as the conversation went on, again picturing Ginny's pale, stricken face as Diggory and Harry had returned, the dark shadows under her eyes the day after, her vulnerability as she asked him to keep in touch. It'd been surprising, and fast.

After that, there had been letters. There had been banter, and a few serious questions about how she was doing that she had only partly dodged (which was more than he'd expected, really). And now, he had no idea where they stood. The fact that she hadn't come to find him somehow boded ill… He'd known he could never be sure with Ginny, but after she'd kept writing to him, if not very personally, he'd started to get his hopes up.

Then she surprised him by showing up at his table in the Great Hall, grinning broadly and slumping down next to him. "Hi," she said simply, first to him, then to Padma, Terry and Anthony.

"Hey," he said, trying to judge if there was anything wrong. Apparently not. Still, he had to ask. "I didn't see you on the train."

Cringing, she put her hand briefly on his. "I know. I got – caught up. With some friends. Sorry."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Just wanted to see you, s'all."

"Well, that makes two of us, Mikey," she grinned. "A hello kiss to make up for it?" she suggested, playfully wriggling her eyebrows as Terry gaped and Padma and Anthony pointedly started discussing the weather.

Without bothering to respond with words, he leaned in and gave her a long kiss.

"Mm. Better than I remembered," Ginny commented softly as they broke apart.

"Y-yeah," he agreed, still sort of blown away by the effect her lips had had on him.

"Guess that means we'll continue down this road of being a bit more than friends, doesn't it?" Ginny stated, as though this matter was simple, and not something he'd spent most of his summer trying to figure out how to bring up with her.

"O-kay. I guess it does," he chuckled at her matter-of-fact manners.

"Only if you want to, obviously, but I think you do, judging from that sort of dazed post-kiss expression on your face," she smirked, leaning in for another kiss and then getting up. "See you around, Mikey!"

"Woah. _How_ did that happen? To _you_?" Terry questioned the air incredulously. "You didn't even – you just sit there like a bloody coward, and for that you get kissing and promises of more kissing? _How_ in the effin' world of Merlin's arsehole is that fair?"

"I – I dunno," Michael replied, still not quite sure exactly what had happened, or how.

"Come on. Didn't you say you guys had written all summer? She likes you, it's obvious," Padma stated, rolling her eyes at the boys' still shocked expressions. "Why, though, can be questioned," she added lightly as Michael's grin broadened a little too much for her liking and Terry's scowl darkened.

**A/N: **If any of you didn't remember, the "friends" that Ginny got caught up with was Harry (and later Luna and Neville, but at first it was just Harry). Just thought that'd add a bit to the chapter, but I couldn't find a way to get it in the actual text, so… There we are.

Oh, and I should be updating some other stories soon!


	6. Falling Out

**A/N: **Okay, so I know that these chapters are short. I know that some of you would like me to change that. I'm sorry to you, because I just feel that this is the way this story has to be. Short scenes that give a hint of the bigger picture. The next chapter will be the last. I know I could've done a lot more with this, but there are so many stories and characters and relationships that I would like to write… I just don't have the time to develop each of them as much as I could. Hope you can still enjoy this! And if it helps, I've also just updated **Life**, for those of you who have been waiting for that like forever.

_**Falling Out**_

"Seriously, Gin, you gotta give a bloke a chance. I better get Seamus 'round to a meeting soon, so I don't have to humiliate myself with you. It's getting kinda embarrassing, it is." Dean shook his head, grinning at her.

She gave him a radiant smile. "Well, I could do that. Or _you_ could work a bit harder to stop yourself being beaten by a girl. Who is a year younger than you, I might add."

"Guess I gotta start doing that," he chuckled. "You comin' back to the common room?"

She hesitated, glancing around the Room of Requirement, seeing Michael's back turned, then nodded and followed Dean out the door, still grinning.

The next day, Michael came up to her in the corridor, wearing that shut-off expression he was using more and more often, which always meant he was upset with her about something or other, but didn't want to talk about it.

She wasn't going to have that. She _hated_ his bloody sulking. "_What_?" she questioned, glaring at him.

His face fell. Obviously he had thought he was a better actor than he was. "Hello to you too," he muttered.

"You're being sulky about something. Might as well let me know what you're being paranoid about this time. Me wanting to learn stuff from Harry somehow meaning I'm declaring my undying love for him? Or something else?"

He stood silent for a moment, his face set, refusing to speak.

"The hell, Mike! Just spit it out so we can get on with our lives already!"

"Thomas." His voice was low, his eyes dark.

"What about Dean? So, I worked with him yesterday. You were with Padma, and you don't see me moping about. _I_ can recognize the difference between friendship and flirting."

"Can you? 'Cause you and Dean looked pretty comfy together. _And_ you'd said you'd wait for me, and instead you went off with him!" He raised his voice, every attempt at holding himself back apparently abandoned.

"I forgot," she said simply, shrugging, ignoring the guilty pit in her stomach that said she'd known very well that Michael would be pissed, but that she'd went with Dean anyway. Because he was fun. Michael had been fun, once, and he still was, sometimes. Except when he was being like this – like she had known he would after seeing his glares over at her and Dean across the room during the entire time they were working together. She just hadn't been in the mood to deal with that.

"Nice," he muttered, turning to leave. "Real nice, Ginny."

She closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to watch his hunched shoulders walking away. "Mike, wait!"

He stopped, not turning around. She half-ran to catch up with him, looking him in the eyes, making out the sadness behind the anger. "I'm sorry. Okay? There's nothing going on with me and Dean. Or me and anyone else that isn't you, for that matter. So you've gotta stop being so touchy about it. Just trust me, all right?"

Slowly, he nodded.

"You know, there is an empty classroom right about there," she pointed out, grinning suggestively. "If you want, I could prove to you in there just how much I want _you_ and no one else."

She watched him hesitate, and quickly placed her lips on his, knowing this was the effective way to get him to stop sulking and just be the boyfriend she wanted. Just like she had predicted, it only took a couple of seconds for him to kiss her back, and a few more for him to be grinning against her, apparently having forgotten all about Dean Thomas. Just like she had wanted.

**A/N: **As I said, next chapter will be the last. It hurts to write them falling apart, even if I knew that was the way I'd have to end it. I really came to like Ginny and Michael together…


	7. Falling To Pieces

**A/N: **Sorry this has taken a while. This is the last chapter. From now on I'll be focusing on Life, Padma and a few complementary oneshots to Padma. One of those should be coming soon, but I have not yet decided whether to post it in Moments or as a stand-alone oneshot. But keep your eyes open if you're interested to read about Dumbledore's funeral from Terry's POV! Now, enjoy!

_**Falling To Pieces**_

He was walking her down to the Quidditch pitch. He could tell she was nervous, from the way her face was set and she was chewing on her lower lip.

"You're gonna be great." He gave what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "Even if you are playing Ravenclaw."

She merely nodded absently, still pressing down her teeth so that she would in all probability soon start to bleed.

"Hey," he said softly, moving his finger gently over her lips, releasing them. "Stop that. You'll be awesome. I've seen you play. You're so good it's hot, and frankly, kinda intimidating."

She nodded again, giving him a small smile. "Thanks," she mumbled, her smile fading as she gave a soft sigh. "I better get down to the changing rooms."

"Yeah. Good luck, then." He shot her a grin that she didn't return.

During the game, he was a traitor. He actually hoped with all his heart that she'd be the first to catch the Snitch. His Ginny. He wished for that for her, that happiness. Plus, if she won, she might actually be happy. If she lost, he shuddered to think what levels her temper might sink down to, with the way she'd been acting lately; distant, and when not, mostly just irritated at him while refusing to tell him what he'd done wrong.

When she won, he cheered, ignoring the indignant looks of Ravenclaws (including Terry and Anthony) around him. Because she looked so happy, so radiantly happy, like he hadn't seen her in a long time. He hurried through the crowd to get to her.

It took a few minutes to work his way through the herd of roaring Gryffindors, but as they thinned, starting to move back up to the castle, he reached her, grinning from ear to ear.

"I told you you'd be awesome," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

She responded, but pulled away quickly, glancing over his shoulder after the rest of the team who were being carried off. He also saw her gaze linger a too long moment over a certain Dean, who waved and shouted "You're the best, Gin!". She grinned and winked at him, before turning back to Michael.

(Michael had never called her Gin. He had only heard her brothers call her that before.)

"You gotta admit now, our team's way better than yours," she said brightly, while again letting her eyes stray over his head.

"I don't." He hadn't planned to say it. He hadn't. It was stupid and childish and pointless, but Dean had called _his girlfriend_ Gin, and she wasn't even pretending to prefer him to her precious Gryffindors… "You got lucky."

"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously, now offering him their full attention. "_Lucky?_ Is that how you compliment your bloody girlfriend after she rocks the game? Just because it was up against _your_ House? If you're that bad of a loser when _you're_ not even playing…"

"Then what?" he spat. "You'd take the chance you've been waiting for to chuck me so you can go snog your Gryffindor pals instead, celebrating your _fantastic_ victory. Go ahead. I know you're dying to."

Her eyes were cold as she stared at him, giving him the chance to apologize. When he didn't, her expression hardened even more. "We're done, Corner."

He suppressed a flinch at the sudden use of his last name. "Fine by me."

It wasn't fine. He watched her red hair bopping on her shoulders as she ran to catch up with the other Gryffindors. It wasn't fine.

Somewhere inside, though, he realized that if it had been this easy for her to let go, without even fighting for him, it probably wouldn't have been fine to keep hanging on either.

**A/N: **I know that some of you have pointed out that the way I write Ginny with Dean here, she comes off a bit unsympathetic. While I can see that, I would like to respond that all girls aren't perfect saints who never flirt when they're in a relationship (even fictional characters!). Especially young girls can be confused and not really realize that their actions might hurt someone. She's just trying to have fun, and figure out what she wants, and it's not that easy. I would never have her actually cheat on Michael with Dean, but a bit of flirting – well, she must've gotten together with Dean really fast after she ended things with Michael, which would imply that they had been growing closer even before that was over. In my head, she did like Michael a lot, in the beginning, but as that faded she let it drag on too long, because she had started to like the idea of him, and because she did still like him as a friend. She will, in my fics, later resume that friendship, when they have both moved on and realized they were never meant to be.

Plus, even if my Michael isn't a perfect saint either, and their failed relationship obviously wasn't one person's fault, I needed her to be a bit un-perfect so that he'd later have a reason to act like what she referred to as "a bad loser". In my world, it wasn't about that, at all. It was just a lot of stuff that had been building up.

So, if you don't think I write Ginny right, that is absolutely fine with me. I just wanted to let you know my views. But please don't see this as if I'm encouraging you not to be honest with me, because I love that you are. I just wanted to speak my piece as well.

Now, I would've replied more thoroughly to you in particular, MrsGrint105, but since you have disabled PMs, I can't.

Oh, and now, please let me know what you thought of the chapter!


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